A murky climate hovers over Ghana’s football sphere in the wake of the recent bribery video scandal featuring the country’s FA Boss Kwasi Nyantakyi.
A Fifa council member, Kawsi shown stuffing wads of cash in a bag in the five-minute expose video by controversial journalist Anas, has opted to resign from his portfolio.
The comes after government’s said on Thursday evening they could be forced to dissolve the Ghana FA.
Nyantakyi vacated the hot-seat after an afternoon showdown talks with rest of his executives on Friday.
Earlier last month, head of state Nana Akufo-Addo ordered for the arrest of the lawyer-cum banker after it emerged that he attempted to defraud undercover reporters posing as potential investors using the president’s name and his deputy.
He has since being bailed but not after his house was raided and valuable confiscated including laptops and phones as part of probing by criminal investigators.
The expose video – a joint work by Tiger IP and the BBC in a crackdown on corruption in Africa Football –released June on 6th , has had tongues-wagging with many questioning journalist Anas’ method of obtaining stories by tempting officials with money.
In the footage, going viral across Africa and beyond, referees were also implicated with two seen accepting what looked like bribery.
Arden Marwa, a Kenyan arbiter, alleged to have accepted a bribe of $600, has been removed from a list of arbiters set to officiate in this June’s Russia World Cup.
Ebrima Jallow, another referee captured in the scenes, is set to face an enquiry in Gambia over his purported involvement in the saga.
Jallow was even filmed without his knowledge by undercover reporters in the aftermath of a Wafu game in 2017, claiming practice of bribing referees is a widespread syndrome on the continent.
The GFA had backed its supremo until the expose video appeared on the internet this week. Consequently, the football governing entity in the West African nation were forced to reverse their stance amid agitations from football stakeholders.
With a key council member caught up in an ugly storm and under pressure to act, Fifa has also gone ahead to ban Kwasi for accepting a “cash gift” of $65,000.
The suspension by the Luzern-based body could be extended by a further 45 days.
Meanwhile, the domestic Ghanaian premier league has been halted as per directives from the central government until further notice.
Below is the full text of Kwasi’s resignation letter to the Ghana FA.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “After a meeting of the Executive Committee this afternoon I decided to resign as President of the Ghana Football Association. It stemmed out of the controversies generated by investigative report of Tiger Eye PI. In the said report I committeed a series of errors of indiscretion. I gravely associated the highest office of the land –the presidency- with private discussions I had with “Scammers” who deceived me into thinking they were genuine persons interested in investing in our country. I hereby apologise unreservedly to the father of the Nation, H.E. Nana Akufo Addo, H.E. the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State for indiscretion in associating them with the private conversations on the video. I wish to clarify that at no time prior to or subsequent to any deliberations on the video did I consult, contact or inform any Government official about discussions on the video. I take sole and personal responsibility for the proceedings on the video. I wish to apologise to my family, work colleagues, friends, associates and the people of Ghana for the disappointment my indiscretion has caused them. This by no means is an admission of any other wrong doing in the video.” [/perfectpullquote]
Featured Photo: It’s no longer happy times for an embattled former Ghana Fa boss Kawsi
